People of Morocco

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Friendly faces are everywhere

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The people have a colourful nature

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Maghrebi mint tea is a big part of people's lives

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The people will make you smile

Morocco’s location at the north west of Africa, a short sea journey from Europe, means it’s a kingdom that has been visited by many major powers throughout the centuries. Phoenicians, Romans, Carthaginians, Amazigh, Portuguese, Turks, Moors, Arabs, Spanish and French have all had a presence here over the years, and a host of other races have followed the trade routes through Morocco from one continent to the other.

This melting pot of cultures and customs has resulted in the Moroccan people of the 21st century; a modern and progressive Islamic nation with a friendly, welcoming nature to locals and foreigners alike.

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Agadir People

Casablanca People

Dakhla People

Essaouira People

Fez People

Lixus People

Marrakech People

Mazagan People

Meknes People

Merzouga People

Ouarzazate People

Rabat People

Saïdia People

Taghazout People

Tamuda Bay People

Tangier People

Zagora People

Agadir People

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The people of Agadir are deeply in tune with their musical heritage

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A working port, men head out to trawl the seas every day

The city of Agadir has a fascinating heritage. Thought to originally have been a Amazigh settlement, the Portuguese moved into the area in 1505, but the local tribes soon won back the town, giving Agadir its strong Arabic heritage. In 1911 the French were the next Europeans to take control of the city when Morocco became a protectorate of France until 1956, blending the Arabic influence with a dose of Gallic flair.

Today’s people of Agadir are a friendly, warm group and part of the reason that Agadir is now such a popular destination for tourists.

Casablanca People

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The Amazigh culture is strong in Casablanca

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Women of Casablanca

Morocco’s largest city owes much to its nautical past. Amazigh fishermen plied the waves there for centuries before the city was founded in the 7th century. It soon became the home of pirates and privateers who targeted ships travelling past the city. It was eventually taken by the Portuguese who destroyed it in 1468 before building a fortress there in 1515. Over the years the city has changed hands several times, and been held by both the Spanish and the French. That, and its proximity to Europe meant that at one point in the 1940s and 50s nearly half the population was European. (The name of the city itself is, of course, Spanish meaning ‘White House’.) Today it retains its cosmopolitan nature, and visitors will find that residents of Casablanca are very welcoming to visitors.

Dakhla People

Image: The people of Dakhla are still in touch with the old traditions

Living in the Sahara Desert while surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the inhabitants of Dakhla are a people shaped by their unique environment.

The area has been inhabited by the Amazigh since ancient times, but there is a noticeable Spanish influence in the town as it was settled (and possibly even founded) by them during the sixteenth and seventeenth century. The pace of life is slow and relaxed, in tune with the rhythm of the ocean. Now that Dakhla is coming to the world’s attention as one of the top surf spots on the globe, a steady stream of western surfers are coming to the region, their laidback lifestyle fitting Dakhla perfectly.

Essaouira People

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Maghrebi mint tea is a big part of people's lives

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Their relationship with the sea has shaped the people of Essaouira

Essaouira’s natural harbour has made the area desirable for thousands of years and there have been people here since prehistoric times. Over the years it has been occupied by Amazighs, Carthaginians, Romans, Portuguese, Moroccan Jews, Arabs and French. As with many port cities, the people of Essaouira are used to visitors and holidaymakers will receive a warm welcome when they arrive. Weatherbeaten fishermen still push their boats out to sea every morning, but increasingly the city is focusing on tourism and as well as French, many Essaouirans speak English fluently. It’s a city that still has links to its Hippy Trail past, and is embracing the new kite-surfing culture that is growing every day.

Fez People

Image: The people of Fez have a long and proud heritage

Fez has always prided itself on remaining the authentic soul of Morocco. Founded in 789, at various times the city has had influxes of Arabs, Andalusians, Amazigh, French and even Ottoman Turks. It’s a place perhaps more in touch with its medieval heritage than any other in Morocco, though it’s definitely embraced the twenty-first century. Much like the city’s architecture, the people are a mix of all these different cultures, but visitors will be pleased to know that Morocco’s renowned hospitality runs strongly in the veins of the Fez people.

Lixus People

While Lixus may have had an illustrious past, with Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans all having walked its streets, no-one lives there any more.

Nearby Larache is alive and well however, full of people who enjoy the town’s coastal location and their proud heritage.

Like many port towns along the Moroccan coast, Larache has changed hands many times over the years. The Banu Arous tribe are thought to have founded the town, and since then it has been held by the Portuguese, the Arabs, the Spanish, and African-Muslims. Each race has left their mark, and the people of today are a happy mix of European and Muslim influences.

People of Marrakech

Image: The people of Marrakech are hospitable and friendly

As a result of being a French protectorate in 1912 and several decades of being on the tourist trail, the people of Marrakech blend Arabic and European influences. As a result, the city is more relaxed about dress code and alcohol than cities in many other Arab countries, though it is still wise to practise discretion. The people on the whole are hospitable, friendly and proud of their fine city. Many speak French, and as with most places they appreciate you attempting the language, even if it is just bonjour and merci!

Mazagan People

Image: The Mazagans are a calm and relaxed people

From the outside, Mazagan resembles a Portuguese port, rather than a Moroccan city. The Europeans came to the city in 1502 and stayed for over 250 years, leaving their mark on both the architecture and the people. This conflux of Moroccan and Portuguese heritage makes Mazagan a fascinating place to visit.

The people of Mazagan have the same outlook on life that is found in so many Moroccan towns along the coast. There is a calm air about the place, and as it is such a popular destination for holidaymakers visitors are made extremely welcome wherever they are in the city.

Meknes People

Image: The friendly people of Meknes have a complex history

The history of the Meknes people is a very interesting one. It was in the 10th century that an Amazigh tribe of the Maknassa Zenetes founded the city. The Zenetes were originally from the Orient, though little if anything of this heritage remains today. In the intervening millennium the city grew under the leadership of several different dynasties, and over the years there have been influxes of Andalusian Moors, Spanish, and even Jews. This mixed grouping has not diluted the Moroccan sense of hospitality however, and when you visit this relatively undiscovered Imperial city you’ll benefit from the warmest of welcomes.

Merzouga People

Image: The Amazigh have lived in this region for centuries

The people of this desert town are a mix of Arabs and Amazigh. Living in such a remote place they have developed an independence that is clear to see, yet like all Moroccans, they have a sense of hospitality that is immediately obvious to any visitors. There are many different ethnic communities and minorities in the area and they co-exist happily, regardless of their customs and habits.

Ouarzazate People

Image: Enjoy a warm welcome when you visit Ouarzazate

Ouarzazate has been a city for just over a century. It wasn’t until the French colonisiation of 1912 that it was officially established, and in 1928 it became a garrison town, administrative centre and troop station. Before the French arrived, the site had been an African trading point. The majority of the population today is still Amazigh and they built most of the buildings in and around Ouarzazate, including the kasbahs. They are a naturally generous, hospitable people, well used to seeing holidaymakers visiting their city, and are always happy to help travellers.

Rabat People

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A guard in tradition uniform at the Mohammed V mausoleum

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Artisans ply their trade in the same way they've done for generations

In six hundred years Rabat has grown from a hamlet with only 100 inhabited houses to the capital of one of the most prominent countries in Northern Africa. The tipping point came when Spain expelled the Moriscos from its borders in the 17th century. The refugees arrived in, and massively expanded Rabat, setting it on the road to becoming the city it is today. A second European influx took place in 1912 when Morocco became a French Protectorate, and there are many reminders of these days across the city.

The population is also rich with Andalusian Moors, Arabs, and Amazigh – as with most large cities, Rabat is a multicultural place and happy to greet visitors.

Saïdia People

Image: Enjoy a warm welcome in Saïdia

Saïdia is a relatively new location in Morocco, having been founded in 1883 by Sultan Hassan I. The city grew up around his 15,600 square metre kasbah, which he built to monitor the movement of people to and from Algeria. Thirty years later, when Morocco became a French protectorate, Saïdia was a popular destination for settlers from France.

Today the French influence still runs very strongly in the people here. They have the relaxed nature of a population living on one of the most beautiful shores in the world, and as the majority of their economy stems from tourism, visitors are made to feel extremely welcome.

Taghazout People

Image: Almost everyone in Taghazout spends time on the waves

Like many places along the Moroccan coastline, Taghazout has both African and European roots, since Amazigh and Spanish have made their home here over the years. However, the Taghazout people have almost exclusively been shaped by the roaring Atlantic and the unique topography of its coast. These two factors create some of the best surf in the world and have drawn boarders from across the world to this little Moroccan town, in turn replacing the usual bustling Moroccan character with the feel of Newquay or Australia’s Gold Coast. The people are relaxed and laid-back, as you’d expect, making Taghazout a very pleasant place to visit.

Tamuda Bay People

Image: The sea plays a huge part in the lives of people in Tamuda Bay

Tamuda Bay is a place that exists to serve the tourism industry. This means that it’s one of the most welcoming places in Morocco, visitors are made to feel at home by the locals as soon as they arrive. Most of the residents are at least bi-lingual, ensuring that there are no communication problems to spoil your stay, and like several of the other northern towns there is a strong Andalusian influence that mixes with the Amazigh heritage, giving the people who live in the area a European tinge to go with their strong African roots.

Tangier People

Image: Tangier is the doorway between Europe and Morocco

Situated in the very north of Morocco, Tangier has been a gateway to the kingdom since the fifth century BC, when the Carthaginians colonised the settlement. Since then the flow of different people from one continent to the other has left a lasting mark in the city and its inhabitants.

Today, Tangier is an interesting mix of north Africans, Spanish, Portuguese and French. When you walk the streets, the prevailing dialect you’ll hear is Moroccan Arabic, though there is a fair bit of Spanish mixed in with that. Around a quarter of the people speak Amazigh as their main language, while road signs are written in Arabic and French. As befits a city with such a blended population, visitors are always welcome and English is well understood in all hotels and tourist areas.

Zagora People

Image: The Amazigh have lived in this region for centuries

The people of Zagora have been shaped by their environment for many years. Centuries living on the edge of the desert have forged a strong sense of independence into these Moroccans, but at the same time they are friendly and welcoming to visitors to their town. A mix of Arab and Amazigh, they have a proud past, and much of their ancestry can be traced back to the Almoravid dynasty who had a strong presence in this area during the eleventh century.

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